Congratulations to Casto. Sounds like the kid has gone through a lot so I bet he is relieved he's got a team. The cougs should feel fortunate that they have him, but it still won't them do much good next year.

Posted by Dave " The Meatball" Armistead

9:19 AM, May 20, 2008

I knew the little Husky viruses would be out trying to take a swing at the mighty meatball! No worries kids, my Cats will be just fine. Southdown, you will take your Huskys over my Cats next year? I will bet anything on that one. You guys were one and done in the FBI company pick-up game last year and are completely irrelevant. If this was European Futbol, you guys would have been relegated down to Division 2 and would need to claw your way back to Division 1 (which would likely never happen). Your time at the bottom rung of the Pac-10 ladder will only get longer.

I'm glad to hear that you guys are worried about our guard situation, so let me dispel the rumors. Jennings and Wise will be Wildcats, and we just signed this fella today! Fogg is one of Lute's late hidden gems:

Someone said Negedu would be the next Onobon, and if that is true, than I'd be happy that he left. Onobon is one of Pastners wonderful recruits, hope Calipari likes guys like that.

With how awful your team is I would think you would all have more patience. This is a typical storm as a result of a coaching shake-up. Everything will settle soon, you'll see!

Posted by justin

11:37 AM, May 20, 2008

Maybe I've missed it, but it seems like the stories on "so and so received a qualifying score" never mention what a qualifying score actually is. Bob, do you know the #? And, while we're at it, do you know the breakdown of what a kid's GPA must be to be eligible as a UW freshman? Finally, I wonder why DeAngelo and Isiah Thomas both took the ACT vs. the SAT. What makes it easier? I'm curious about this side of the UW student-athlete equation.

(And, in future stories, I'd love to see a line that says "A qualifying score on the ACT is xxx. Receiving that score would place a student in the xxx percentile." Forgive me if this has been there and I've missed it.)

Posted by bomberboy

12:32 PM, May 20, 2008

I bring this up just because I like to argue, but why would any of us care about any players actual score? A better question is: What % of football players and basketball players at UW, Stanford, UCLA, CAl would get into those schools on their own merit, if they wer NOT being recruited?

My guess is less than 10%, and that includes Stanford.t

Posted by Bob Condotta

1:33 PM, May 20, 2008

Justin --- Usually guys don't really want to go into that much detail, so sometimes reporters ask if it seems relevant. But one thing is that the kids themselves are notorious for not really knowing the details --- they just know if they passed or not --- and schools won't say anything due to privacy rules. The other thing is that the passing score can be different for each player due to the sliding scale. Eligibility is now a combination of a players' GPA and his test score. The higher the GPA, the lower the test score that's needed, and vice versa (though obviously there are minimums that must be met). So what happens is that a player knows that he is likely to have a GPA of, say 2.7, and that if he does, he then needs a score of whatever. Once they get that score, they then know if they stay on track with their classes they are in. That's basically what happened with Isaiah Thomas. You'll note that UW coaches have been cautions in their comments since they know Isaiah still has to finish out his classes and graduate. But what Isaiah got was a test score high enough that if he stays on track, he'll be eligible. Hope that helps. Another thing to keep in mind is that the SAT added the written component a few years ago and the scores needed have changed, so what was once a passing score isn't any longer, etc.

Posted by justin

4:41 PM, May 20, 2008

Thanks a lot bob, that's all great to know. I didn't know about the sliding scale. Interesting stuff.

And to Bomberboy: I disagree with your premise. When a basketball player gets into UW based largely on his basketball skill, I think that means he's getting in on his own merit. I, for one, appreciate that basketball gives kids like Isiah and Venoy a chance at an education they wouldn't otherwise have, for grades or other reasons. I just hope they make the most of it vs. assuming that they won't need school because they'll play pro...but that's another story.